The BIGS Review (X360)

Gameplay (continued from previous page)

Fielding isn’t quite so hot, unfortunately, due mostly to the extremely fast pace of the game. When the ball is hit, you are switched to control of the player closest to the ball, but oftentimes the ball moves so fast you don’t really have much of a chance to make a play. At the same time, the CPU fielders have an uncanny ability to make crazy plays and get to balls that you can’t, which can be rather frustrating when you are trying to hit. Baserunning isn’t all that much better as your runners move rather slowly and don’t always do what you want.

Governing all of this is a turbo meter and power-up meter. For each strike you throw, or ball you take while batting, your turbo meter fills. There are five bars that gradually fill up, and you can use one of them whenever you want to put some extra zip on your next pitch, get some extra power or control while hitting, or need some extra speed when you are trying to make a play in the field or while running the bases. Strategic use of your turbo meter is vitally important. The power-up meter is a score on top of the screen that adds up whenever you get a hit, make a spectacular catch, or strike someone out. When the meter fills, you can either go into a super effective pitching mode, or hit a guaranteed home run. Again, clever use of the power-up meter is important. It takes long enough to fill that you can’t really abuse it, and it adds a nice bit of drama to the game.

Graphics and Sound

Graphically, The BIGS looks nice. The stadiums look nice, and while some artistic freedom was taken with landmarks and recognizable features inside the stadiums, they are fairly accurate to real life. The players, on the other hand, are pretty over the top. The faces are detailed and look pretty realistic, but the bodies are huge, hulking roided-up freaks. It fits the overall look and feel of the game, but for some guys it is just odd to see them so big.

The sound is also pretty good. Not really all that spectacular, but the crowd noise and commentary fit the feel of the game perfectly. The music, which plays on the menus and over the PA in the stadium occasionally while you are playing, is a lot of grunge and rock and the soundtrack overall is pretty good.

Bottom Line

In the end, The BIGS is a very fun game of arcade-style baseball that both casual and hardcore fans of Major League Baseball will enjoy. It features solid gameplay and graphics, and is very entertaining overall. The features list suffers a little bit, and while online play can add some longevity, the lack of a traditional season mode is a real letdown. The gameplay is fun, particularly the hitting and pitching, but the fielding and baserunning (your inability to do them affectively and the AI’s unbelievable skill at both) will frustrate you after a while. Rob me of a home run once, shame on me, rob me of a home run 7-10 times a game, shame on you AI. Because of the features and gameplay issues, I can’t give it a solid recommendation for a purchase, but I do highly suggest you give it a rental and check it out for yourself and decide on a purchase from there. It is a very fun game, just maybe not worth the full $60 asking price for most people.